


Jailhouse Rock

by JustBeMe13



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Prison, Asexuality, Awkward Roronoa Zoro, Bisexual Vinsmoke Sanji, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Declarations Of Love, Eventual Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji, Falling In Love, Forbidden Love, Guns, Gunshot Wounds, Homosexuality, Hurt Roronoa Zoro, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Torture, Injured Roronoa Zoro, Inmate Zoro, Jailer Sanji, Jealous Roronoa Zoro, Love Confessions, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Mental Instability, Pining Roronoa Zoro, Roronoa Zoro and Vinsmoke Sanji Bickering, Scared Roronoa Zoro, Scars, Smoking, Vinsmoke Sanji-centric, Violence, Whipping, Worried Vinsmoke Sanji
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:15:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24809875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustBeMe13/pseuds/JustBeMe13
Summary: Blood pooled on the grass and Sanji could see it running from the long gashes on his upper back. His shirt was in tatters on the grass beside him and his pants were soaked through.Sanji shifted his weight and a branch broke under his foot, startling the Inmate out of his calm position by the pond. He shot up and turned in a flash, fright evident in steel grey eyes as they searched the edge of the forest, before landing on Sanji.
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 4
Kudos: 94





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Jailhouse Rock](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/635017) by Elvis Presley. 



> This was inspired, of course, by Elvis Presley. 
> 
> Sanji is a Jailer, and Zoro is an Inmate. 
> 
> How will their forbidden love work out?
> 
> Author-chan

Impel Down wasn’t so much as a Prison as it was a fun house. Sanji knew this because of the things he could see from the window of his own personal office. He was leaning against the frame with his arm and gazed down upon the Inmates who where playing tag outside on the field. He turned his head to look at the Vice-Warden. The man was skinny to the bone, his flesh a dark tan that seemed natural. He had on a pair of thick glassed and his hair was dark and styled into an afro. He was tall, and lanky, but he seemed to be a strong person despite all of his obvious weaknesses.

“Is this office to your liking, Sanji-san?” Brook asked, his voice a higher tone than Sanji would have guessed. He held a stack of papers in his hands and placed them down on the desk before him. He looked up at the blonde through his large glasses and Sanji could see a smile quirk at his lips.

“Yes,” Sanji said, turning to him fully. He crossed his arms and shot one last look outside, frowning heavily. “Can they play like that? This is a Prison, right?” he asked. Brook smiled up at him, and nodded.

“Yes, it is. But we do things differently here. We try to rehabilitate these people by letting them do what they deem right, and if it’s not, we correct them. We try to keep civil in this place,” he said, his face crinkling with wrinkles as he chuckled. Brook patted the papers on the desk and Sanji strode over to look through them. They were names of Inmates assigned to him personally, more than he had gotten in his previous job.

“This is a bit much, isn’t it?” he asked, looking up at Brook, who stood patiently to the side. The man looked at him, then at the papers and quirked half a smile.

“Yes, perhaps. But we are a bit short of staff at the moment. Don’t worry about it, though, you’ll question why these people are even here when you meet them,” he said with a merry laugh. Sanji frowned, but then shrugged as he guessed Brook had a point. He didn’t know these people, and he just had to play along for now. If all went well, he could leave soon and get on the road with his old man again, driving the Restaurant around.

“Don’t keep them waiting, Sanji-san. Here is your phone with all the information you need and the tracking system for the Inmates that you’re assigned to,” Brook said, handing Sanji a cellphone. Sanji nodded and opened the phone, looking at all the dots on his screen. His gaze was caught by one dot a lot further away from all the other.

“Whose all the way over here?” Sanji asked, pointing at the dot and letting Brook see the screen. Brook pursed his lips and raised his brows. It seemed that he knew who that was, but he was thinking about something. Sanji wondered what crossed his mind.

“That must be Zoro-san, he’s been quite distant from the others for a while now. We don’t know why and his Jailer, Fullbody, the one you replace, hasn’t told us why either,” Brook said. He seemed conflicted, slightly. He sighed and straightened. Sanji pulled the phone away and pocketed it. He frowned at Brook’s look, but didn’t say anything.

“I’ll go get him, then,” he said, walking towards the door. Brook followed after him and stood by as Sanji closed, and locked, the door to his new office. He turned to face Brook, only to see the older man had a serene smile on his face.

“Take good care of them, Sanji-san. They’ll need you to guide them,” he said. Then he promptly turned around and strode off into the hallway. Sanji stared at him, jaw hanging open and stunned at the display of the older man. It seemed that the Inmates were treated like equals here, not like at his other jobs. He hoped he could perform like that.

Sanji sighed, his shoulder slumping. He turned the other way and took of towards the recreation area. He walked out the door and shielded his eyes against the sunlight, glancing at the figures running around the field. He could see the fences, a good distance away and hidden by trees and bushes. He squinted, trying to spot the Inmate that he was searching for. He couldn’t find him that easily, so Sanji decided to disappear into the trees and look for him.

He walked through the small forest for a while, along the fence. He could hear water running, but he couldn’t see it anywhere, until he came upon a stream, which became a bigger stream, which became a pond by which he found the Inmate he was looking for. Sanji stopped short, just within the trees to look at the man.

The Inmate was very muscular and had tanned skin, his hair was green, and Sanji couldn’t see his eyes from where he stood. What he could see though, where the red marks littering his otherwise flawless back. He drew in a short gasp, watching as the Inmate scooped water into his hand and let it roll down his back with a hiss. Blood pooled on the grass and Sanji could see it running from the long gashes on his upper back. His shirt was in tatters on the grass beside him and his pants were soaked through.

Sanji shifted his weight and a branch broke under his foot, startling the Inmate out of his calm position by the pond. He shot up and turned in a flash, fright evident in steel grey eyes as they searched the edge of the forest, before landing on Sanji. The blonde stood frozen, a stoic expression on his face. He didn’t want to scare the man, but it seemed he already had. Sanji had never imagined seeing a strong, burly man such as him tremble in fear at the mere sight of him, but the green haired man was. He took a step back, heel slipping a bit as he neared the pond.

“Who’re you?” he croaked, voice laced with fear and pain.

Sanji held up his hands in a calming manner and walked forward. “I’m Sanji, the new Jailer. I went looking for you when I saw your chip inside the forest. What are you doing here?” he asked, not mentioning the cuts on the man’s back.

The inmate took a step back, flailing a bit. “I-“ he began. Then he said nothing more, waiting in stoned and frozen silence as Sanji neared him. The blonde grabbed onto the man’s trembling arm and pulled him away from the pond gently, guiding him to sit on the grass.

“What’s your name?” Sanji asked softly, walking around the Inmate to judge the wounds on his back. The man was silent for a moment, tensing under him as Sanji gently traced along the scars, old and new, on his back. He’d seen the man’s front only slightly, having been focused on his face so he wouldn’t scare him off. Sanji had seen a large scar there as well, but it was stitched up and old, perhaps a year already.

“Zoro,” the Inmate replied, then. “Roronoa Zoro.” Sanji nodded slowly, even though he knew the green haired man couldn’t see him. He crouched down and took Zoro’s tattered shirt, dipping it in the pond and proceeding to clean the man’s back. The Inmate hissed with each touch Sanji made, but kept it quiet, flinching every time the cloth touched a wound.

“How did you get these?” Sanji asked, concerned by how bad the slashes were. It looked like he had been whipped with a crop, or something worse. The blonde Jailer felt Zoro tense under his hands and the green haired man sucked in a sharp breath. Sanji felt him shudder and then exhale, but he didn’t make a move to leave, or answer. Sanji shrugged, he had the right to keep silent. It wasn’t required of him to answer, but Sanji _was_ going to take him to the Doctor. He balled up the torn shirt and pushed it in his pocket, getting to his feet.

“Come on, we’re getting you to the Doctor. Those need to be looked at, or they’ll scar even more,” Sanji said. Zoro said nothing, looking at Sanji from the corner of his eyes. He stood slowly, wincing as his back muscles pulled at the wounds, but stood anyway. Sanji grabbed his wrist and guided him back through the forest and onto the recreation field. Sanji could see a few people look up, but they were too far away to see what was going on with the Jailer and the Inmate.

Sanji guided Zoro through the hallways, through cell blocks and into the Doctors office where a lovely red head stood with a clipboard and pen. She looked up as they came in and her eyes widened as she saw Zoro. Sanji wondered if she knew him, but didn’t ask.

“You’re here to see Chopper, right?” she asked quickly, eyeing Zoro. The green haired man looked at her, but made no comment as she gazed at him with an intensity that had Sanji shivering. Instead, he just nodded and the red head lead them inside a smaller room, where a very young adult sat on a chair. He looked up as they came in and cried out in surprise.

“ZORO! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT HIDING YOUR INJURIES FROM ME!” he roared. Sanji stepped back in shock because of two things. First, the kid was really young, maybe seventeen or eighteen. Second, Zoro had a serene smile on his face that made Sanji stomach flip with butterflies trying to escape their well dug grave.


	2. Chapter 2

Sanji watched quietly as the young Doctor treated the wounds on Zoro’s back. As the blood was washed away, he could see older scars, large and small alike, littering the man’s back. He frowned, it was normal for thugs to have scars, but Zoro did not seem like a person who’d want so many.

“I told you to be careful, didn’t I?” Chopper scolded, and Zoro flinched at his tone. Sanji sighed, this was going to take a little longer so he might as well sit down. He found a chair and planted it in the middle of the room, ignoring the lovely Nurse that stood watching from the side.

“I was, Chopper. You know what happened, so don’t pretend,” Zoro muttered. Sanji raised a brow, Zoro was being careful? Then how did he get all of those wounds on his back. Sanji resigned himself to asking, instead of mulling over it.

“Tell me how you got those,” he demanded. The room fell silent. Chopper looked up at Sanji with his big, round doe eyes. They were filled with concern, but he seemed to see something in Sanji’s eyes that eased him, and he drew back from Zoro. Zoro himself however, was tense all over and watching Sanji from the corner of his eyes.

“Why should I tell you?” he mumbled. It was meant to sound threatening, but Sanji could hear the fear and angst in his voice clearly. He scooted forward on his chair and crossed his arms, leaning in towards the Inmate.

“I am your Jailer, Zoro. I may be here to watch over you while you’re in here, but I won’t have you injured under my watch without knowing who did that to you. We’re not permitted to injure any of you, and if you are, we should know about it.” This seemed to startle Zoro, for his eyes widened and he sat up straighter, hissing through his teeth as he agitated his wounds.

“I’m waiting,” Sanji said calmly. Zoro seemed frightened of him, making eye contact that told Sanji exactly what he needed to know. The other people in this room knew, but Zoro had no intention of telling Sanji what had befallen him just yet.

“Fine, I’ll wait for you then,” he settled on, which seemed to ease the tension in the room. The Nurse sighed and she walked up to him, handing him a clipboard with several questions about what had happened. He filled in all he knew, and left blank what he did not. Zoro received a similar board and filled in things as well, but Sanji could see he left a lot of things blank, more things than Sanji himself.

It wasn’t long before Sanji was lead out of the infirmary again with Zoro on his heels, the Inmate looking more than a little uncomfortable. The man pulled on his shirt, or tried to anyway. Sanji helped, pulling it over his arms and rolling his eyes at Zoro’s mortified blush.

“Thanks,” the green haired man mumbled. Sanji smiled slowly, he was at least a little happy that the man seemed to appreciate his attention. He went marching ahead towards the cells, which were glass cabins, much like those in Arkham Asylum in Batman, but Sanji didn’t care about that. The cells were quite nice, much like a little hotel room if he said so himself. Quite luxurious.

“Will you tell me sometime?” Sanji asked as he turned to face Zoro. Zoro halted in his steps, looking nervously to the side.

“If I do, you can’t tell my Captain, or anyone,” he croaked. Sanji wondered why Zoro was so scared. He seemed like a person with a strong will, but he was totally shattered and broken. He was more a shell of his former self, and Sanji didn’t even know his former self.

“I won’t, I promise.” Zoro looked up as he said that, eyes a blazing intensity that sent a shiver of delight up Sanji’s spine.

“A promise is kept no matter what, do you understand?” Zoro’s voice was suddenly deep and rough, determined and scary. Sanji nodded slowly, seeing a little of the real Zoro he didn’t know yet. The man was strong indeed, though he did not show it, yet.

“I promise. And I always keep my promises,” Sanji said, unconsciously echoing something Zoro had said once in his life. Zoro’s eyes sparkled a little, and Sanji felt giddy all of a sudden. He had gained a little of Zoro’s trust.

“So, whose this Captain you keep talking about?” Sanji asked, curiosity laced in his voice. Zoro rolled his eyes, and scoffed hard.

**o-o-o**

Sanji was back in his office, a young Jailer standing next to him by the window. They were both looking down on the Inmates as they played tag once again. Sanji’s eyes followed Zoro as he chased after a straw hat wearing kid, whose name was Luffy. Sanji had asked him about the kid yesterday and got to know him a little. Apparently Luffy was a trouble maker with his group of friends and they had played with the wrong opponent, which had landed them in jail.

The Warden, Monkey D Garp, was Luffy’s grandfather and kept watch over the kid. Apparently, the whole group was here for their own safety, and they’d rallied the whole Prison in their favor. Sanji was impressed to say the least. He knew that some of the men here were Whitebeards, and that the Mafia Boss wasn’t worried about his underlings. They could take care of themselves and keep safe, away from Blackbeard.

Sanji also knew that Luffy’s brother, though not in blood, had been put here specifically in order to protect him against Blackbeard. His name was Portgas D Ace and he was just as much of a trouble maker as Monkey D Luffy.

“He’s quite the ruckus maker, isn’t he?” Coby, the young Jailer, laughed softly. Sanji slowly nodded, a smile playing around his lips.

“He is, but he’s a good kid. I wonder why he hasn’t joined the cops. Instead, he chose to be a vigilante group with his friends. It’s admirable, but strange,” Sanji commented. Coby agreed with a nod, not taking his eyes off of Luffy. 

“He’s not bad, you know. I owe him my life. I thought this was the best way of repaying him, serving as one of their Jailers. It’s funny to see them rile up the other Inmates, though. Especially Trafalgar, he gets angry fast, though he seems fond of Luffy somehow,” Coby said, glancing at Sanji from the corner of his eyes. Sanji grinned happily, gazing around the grassy grounds on which all of the Inmates found themselves.

“Yeah, I can see that. Isn’t he that Death Surgeon everyone was talking about, dissecting bad guys and stringing them up for the cops to find, dismembered and all?” he asked, turning his head to look at the pink haired Jailer. Coby laughed wholeheartedly and a few tears slipped from beneath his lashes.

“True. He’s a mad man though. Don’t know why they caught him, he wasn’t actually doing anything bad enough to get this kind of attention from the cops.” Sanji nodded slowly. That was true. He’d watched the news often enough, seeing the victims for himself and one time having to turn the TV off so he wouldn’t vomit on his nice carpet.

“I saw some of his work, he’s creepy as all hell, but he’s not bad.” He could see Coby quirking a smile at that. Sanji turned to his desk and fumbled with some files, picking out Zoro’s file from the others.

“Though, it makes me wonder. Do you know anything more about him?” Sanji asked, waving the piece of paper in Coby’s direction. The young Jailer looked at him, judging him it seemed. He slowly nodded and took the offered file, skimming through it. He cringed at something, and Sanji peeked over to see the pictures Chopper had taken in the infirmary of Zoro’s slashes.

“Ah, yes. That was gruesome. He won’t tell me how he got those, yet.” Coby looked up at him, frowning.

“He tells you things?” he asked. “He’s, like, so quiet around the rest of us, even though we’re kind to him and tell him he can tell us whatever. He only seemed comfortable around Chopper and Luffy. But he also only tells Luffy things on Captain’s orders.” Sanji frowned, what did those titles even mean?

“What’s with the name calling?” he asked. Coby handed him the file and sighed.

“It’s their way of ranking. Zoro’s the First Mate. They use Pirate terms actually. Luffy is the Captain of the ship, but in these circumstances, he’s the Leader of their band and the Club they run, the Thousand Sunny, formerly the Going Merry. It’s like a fighting club, but legal. Then you have the other people, but I don’t get their rankings. You’ll have to ask them directly. There’s then of them in total,” Coby told him. Sanji nodded slowly. Ten, huh? That wasn’t all that much, but enough to form a strong bond between them. Sanji wondered if they were all very close. Perhaps like a family, or Nakama?

He’d have to figure that out some other time. Now, it was time for other things, mainly; getting information on Zoro’s wounds.

Interrogating Chopper it was, then.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanji discovered what happened to Zoro, and he's not happy about it.

“So,” Sanji said, crossing his legs as he leaned back into the chair. He stared at the young Prison Doctor in front of him, Chopper wiggling uncomfortably in his chair. The Nurse, Nami, had taken off to the medical bay, saying she had to look after a few other patients, leaving Sanji and Chopper alone.

“You wanted to talk about Zoro?” Chopper said softly, glancing at him. He was obviously not glad to be there at the moment and Sanji cocked his head in question. Perhaps it was a sore subject for the young kid to talk about.

“Yes,” he answered, uncrossing his legs and resting his arms on his knees, smiling a little. “He’s my responsibility and I’d like to know which asshole put him through a torture session when we’re not allowed to wound the Inmates.” Chopper flinched at his hard words, but Sanji could see he understood the situation. Chopper sighed and sat a little straighter, looking Sanji dead in the eye.

“He came in here a few months ago with a large cut on his face. I was able to stitch it up, and now it’s just a faint scar, but he won’t tell me who gave it to him. After that time, he came in here regularly,” Chopper began. “He had cuts all over him, and even handprints sometimes. I could never get him to tell me who did it, and he was getting more and more scared overtime. It’s really weird to see that,” he said, looking concerned himself. “Zoro is a strong person, and full of confidence and he also has a bit of a cocky attitude. But he’s a good guy, that why I was so surprised. He’s really different now.”

“He is,” Sanji agreed. Chopper looked at him, frowning a little.

“You can see that?” he asked quietly.

Sanji nodded. “Yes, sometimes his true self shines through that thick armor of his, but it’s hidden just as fast as it appears. He seems scared to show it, and he always draws away from me, as if he’s afraid of me,” he said. Chopper frowned and jumped off his chair, walking to his desk and grabbing a stack of papers. He fished through them and frowned as he read through a few.

“He’s like that, yes, but he wasn’t always. I should know,” he mumbled. Sanji smiled a little, it was clear Chopper was very worried about Zoro.

“He’s closing himself off to us, keeping us out and keeping us away, not even Luffy knows what’s going on, even though he tries to talk to Zoro.” Sanji raised his brow, so even the famous Luffy had been worried about his friend and had noticed his strange behavior.

“You’ve known him for a long time, haven’t you?” Sanji asked gently. He saw Chopper stiffen, then the kid turned to him with wide eyes. Sanji smiled slowly, watching as Chopper relaxed a little.

“Yes, a good long while,” he finally said. “I guess you’ve heard about what Luffy does. He’s kind of a vigilante in the city, with his group of friends. They often came to my clinic when one of them was injured. Now that they are all here, they refused any Doctor that wasn’t me, so I was brought in here, together with Nami and Brook, otherwise Luffy would have just broken out.” Sanji chuckled. That would be an action the straw hat would take. He’d wondered why he had still been here.

“I see,” he said. “But Zoro is really not doing so well, and I know they didn’t commit any grave crimes, so they should be safe here, but they’re not. I want to help him, he looks so… depressed.” Chopper nodded quickly, agreeing with him. He walked back to Sanji and gave him the stack of papers.

“Look through these, they’ll help you understand Zoro. He could really use someone like you,” Chopper told him. “This Prison isn’t like any others, it’s mostly just to protect people that are important to the city, but have done a few bad things. I hope you understand that,” he said. Sanji nodded and looked at the papers, it was a large stack. He’d have to go through it anyway, trying to understand Zoro now, and who he was before. Perhaps he could also scour the internet for something interesting.

“Thanks Chopper, you’re a great help.” The Doctor blushed and slapped him on his shoulder, telling him he wasn’t at all happy to hear him say that. Sanji could only smile.

**o-o-o**

Sanji was outside once again, it had been a few days since he’d talked to Chopper, and he’d mulled over it, and looked through all of the files on Zoro’s wounds and injuries. He’d also had a talk with Garp, the Warden. The man had told him some more about he Prison and what it’s purpose was. It was strange, but Sanji wasn’t all that weirded out.

The blonde Jailer watched as Luffy ran along the field, chasing a long nosed man called Usopp, trying to tag him. They played this game almost every day. And to Sanji’s surprise, Zoro was there, too. The green haired man was napping in the summer sun, snoring the day away as his friends played on the field. His shirt was on, and he was lying in the warm grass a few meters from the playing duo. Beside him saw a black haired man with freckles, a cowboy hat on his head.

Sanji squinted as they guy laughed and Zoro’s face split into a little smile. The green haired man sat up and shoved the other playfully. Sanji cracked a smile as well, glad to see Zoro hanging with his friends again. The blonde frowned when another man joined them, he was large and had disproportional forearms. Zoro smiled at him and motioned him over. The guy had blue hair and went to sit with them, laughing so loud that Sanji could hear them.

Zoro’s face was peaceful, he didn’t seem scared anymore. Sanji wondered if it had been because of him. Sudden clarity washed over him and his eyes widened. Sanji stood up straight as an arrow and quickly made his way back inside, running to the Vice-Warden’s office. Sanji rapped his knuckles against the door and waited impatiently for Brook to open the door. The tall, skinny man opened the door, frowning as he saw Sanji’s messy hair and panting figure.

“What is it, Sanji-san. Are you alright?” the Vice-Warden asked, concern lacing his voice. Sanji nodded quickly and took a few gulping breaths to calm himself, he had to be rational about this.

“Who was the Jailer that you fired? I need to look into him,” he said, looking up at Brook. The man before him frowned, but then stepped aside to let Sanji in.

“What’s this about, Sanji-san? Have you found out anything about Zoro-san’s injuries?” he asked as he began rummaging through his desk drawer. Sanji sat down in one of the armchairs and sighed heavily. He had to keep calm, if what he thought had happened was really true, he needed solid evidence.

“It’s about Zoro, yes. I think I found a lead on something,” Sanji answered Brook as the other man pulled out a map of papers, handing it to Sanji. Sanji went through it quickly and stared at a photo of the Jailer. His name was Fullbody and he had been in charge of Zoro and his friends for as long as they had been here. Sanji scowled. This had to be the guy.

“It’s this guy. He’s the one who hurt Zoro,” Sanji snarled. He looked up to see Brook’s shocked face.

“Are you sure?” the tall man asked. Sanji nodded his head, and went to explain what he had found out.

“Zoro was scared shitless of me the first day he saw me. He’s been skittish and has never shown any of his injuries to his friends. He hasn’t told anyone about how he got them. And his Jailer didn’t either, that’s what was bothering me. Fullbody should have known how he’d gotten those injuries. With that said, there was only one other explanation I could think off. Fullbody had to be the one who’d done it to Zoro. He probably threatened Zoro to keep quiet about it, but because of his shit attitude to the other people of the Prison, he got fired anyway. And then there was me, and Zoro was still scared.” 

“That does explain quite a lot. You have a good deduction, Sanji-san. I shall notify the Warden and we shall investigate further. I think you should relay your findings to Zoro as well, but please wait until he has seen Miss Robin, she has an appointment with him later this afternoon,” Brook said. Sanji frowned.

“Whose Miss Robin?” he asked, intrigued.

Brook smiled. “Our Psychiatrist, of course.”


End file.
